WPL 2025 Retentions: Gujarat Giants drop Laura Wolvaardt, Deepti Sharma also released ahead of auction

In a surprising move ahead of the WPL 2025 auction, the Gujarat Giants have decided not to retain Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa’s ODI World Cup top-scorer and captain. The franchise instead chose to keep their Australian stars — Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner — as the only two overseas retentions allowed.

Wolvaardt’s release comes despite her exceptional recent form, where she led South Africa to the ODI World Cup final. Meanwhile, another major exclusion is India’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who won the WPL 2024 Player of the Tournament and starred in India’s World Cup triumph earlier this year.

On the expected lines, leading Indian names including Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Jemimah Rodrigues have all been retained by their respective teams.

Full Retentions List

Mumbai Indians: Nat Sciver-Brunt (Rs 3.5 crore), Harmanpreet Kaur (Rs 2.5 crore), Hayley Matthews (Rs 1.75 crore), Amanjot Kaur (Rs 1 crore), G Kamalini (Rs 50 lakh)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Smriti Mandhana (Rs 3.5 crore), Richa Ghosh (Rs 2.75 crore), Ellyse Perry (Rs 2 crore), Shreyanka Patil (Rs 60 lakh)
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner (Rs 3.5 crore), Beth Mooney (Rs 2.5 crore)
UP Warriorz: Shweta Sehrawat (Rs 50 lakh)
Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs 2.2 crore), Shafali Verma (Rs 2.2 crore), Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2.2 crore), Marizanne Kapp (Rs 2.2 crore), Niki Prasad (Rs 50 lakh)

Purse Remaining (in crore)

As previously reported by Cricbuzz, Delhi Capitals have also released Meg Lanning, their three-time finalist captain, while retaining their young Indian core. UP Warriorz, on the other hand, have opted for a reset, keeping only Shweta Sehrawat, a former U-19 World Cup winner.

The WPL 2025 Auction is expected to feature intense bidding wars, especially for top Indian and overseas names like Laura Wolvaardt and Deepti Sharma, who now re-enter the auction pool.